


New Project

by CrushItWithABrick



Series: Pidge POV stories (misc) [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alien/Human Relationships, Balmeran Culture, Balmeran Hunk (Voltron), Canon Related, F/M, Female Friendship, Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Male-Female Friendship, Menstruation, Other, POV Pidge | Katie Holt, Pidge | Katie Holt is a Good Friend, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Love, Post-Finale, Pregnancy, Shay (Voltron) Is A Good Friend, Surrogacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:48:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22911997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrushItWithABrick/pseuds/CrushItWithABrick
Summary: Pidge takes on a new (and challenging) project with Hunk and Shay.
Relationships: Colleen Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Matt Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt, Pidge | Katie Holt & Shay, Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Rax & Shay (Voltron), Sam Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt
Series: Pidge POV stories (misc) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1646794
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	New Project

“Yes,” she sighs. 

She forgot to do laundry and is happy to see she still has one pair of underwear left. And a couple tampons (it’s also been a while since she’s been to the store). She grabs the fresh underwear and a tampon and cleans herself up before turning her attention to her shorts. She examines them and finds them stain free but they are far from clean. She contemplates wearing them again and then reluctantly tosses them in the laundry basket. She goes to her room and after a fruitless search for a clean pair of shorts, reluctantly pulls on a skirt.

She grabs her keys and battered messenger bag and starts the drive out to the warehouses where her father, brother, and mother keep their numerous projects. She stops along the way for a giant sized mega melon slushie and an energy shot. She pauses as she gets ready to dump the energy shot into the slushie. 

“Better enjoy this now,” she mutters and tips the contents of the small bottle into the icy drink. She tosses the empty bottle onto the passenger side floor (amid several others) and takes a long drink. She winces against the stab behind her left eye and gives it a rub. It’s a small price to pay for that first rush of cold racing down her throat and dropping into her stomach.

At the warehouses she parks in the meager shade of the scraggly group of trees at the back of the building and, slushie in hand, makes her way inside.

“Ooh. . .” Matt makes a grabbing motion at the cup and Pidge takes a big gulp before handing it to him. He takes a drink and makes a face. “Melon?”

“I didn’t get it for you,” she replies.

“What did you get for me?” he asks.

Pidge makes a ‘zero’ shape with her free hand then flicks her fingers wide and waggles them at her brother. He laughs.

“Wait,” she says as she starts to walk away from him. She digs in her bag. “Heads up.” She tosses him a packet and he catches it.

“Where did you get these?” He grins at her and wipes his hands on his pants then tears the bag open. He offers it to her and she holds out her hand to accept the little nuggets.

“I have my sources,” she says as she tosses the candy into her mouth. 

“You’re going to get caught,” Matt says as he pours candy directly into his mouth. “Shit, these are so good.”

“Not likely,” she replies. He offers the packet to her again and she nods to the negative. She likes the rush the contraband candy gives but not the headache she gets after. She looks toward the back of the building. “Mom back there?”

“Yeah,” Matt says. He gives her a grin and adds. “Nice skirt.”

“Shut up,” she calls over her shoulder as she makes her way to the back of the building and the sound of voices.

“Katie,” her dad greets her. “You look nice.”

She rolls her eyes at him and he laughs.

“Matt already gave me shit over it,” she replies. She dips into the bag again and hands her father a small box. 

“You come bearing gifts?” Sam takes it and peers inside. “Oh, where did you find. . .”

“Dad. . .” Pidge arches her eyebrows at him. “What have I told you about asking questions?”

Sam laughs.

“Where’s. . .” Pidge pauses as her mother walks toward them. She frowns at the slushie in Pidge’s hand. Pidge snickers and offers it to her.

“Tell me this isn’t your breakfast,” Colleen says. She takes a sip from the cup. “Mmm, melon.” She pauses. “Did you eat?”

“Yes,” Pidge replies in a mocking tone. Normally her mother treating her like a child would upset her but Pidge is in too good of a mood. “An egg, toast. . .” Pidge snickers at her mother’s reaction. “. . .and orange juice.”

“Orange juice? I thought you hated orange juice.”

“It’s not my favorite but it’s loaded with folic acid so. . .” Pidge laughs as Colleen squints at her trying to figure out what her daughter is up to. “I’m working on a new project.”

“Oh?” Colleen doesn’t say anything more just waits for Pidge to continue.

“Yeah and I could use your. . .” Pidge grins at her mother. “Expertise.”

“Do you hear this, Sam?” Colleen says to her husband.

“What’s that?”

“Your daughter is buttering me up and being very coy about why.”

“What are you up to, Katie?” Sam chuckles and turns to face them. Pidge offers him the cup and he looks at it. “How many energy shots are in here?”

“Just one,” she replies. Sam gives her a surprised look and takes a sip.

“What’s this new project you need your mother to help with?” He takes another sip.

“Having a baby.”

Sam coughs and Pidge smiles and grabs the cup from him before he can drop it.

“Katie. . .” Colleen looks at her. “Are you. . .”

“Pregnant? No,” Pidge says around the straw in her mouth. “I wouldn’t be drinking this if I was,” she adds. She looks at the cup then at Colleen. “You think it’s ok to have, like, one shot a day while I’m trying to get pregnant or. . .”

“Katie, are you putting us on? You are not funny.”

“No joke, mom. It’s my new project. I started tracking my cycle and. . .”

“Are you out of your mind? I know you’re wearing that skirt because you have no clean clothes and your apartment and car are both a mess. How on Earth are you going to properly care for. . .”

“I’m not,” Pidge replies. She can’t deny she’s enjoying her mother’s reaction just a bit. She’s always enjoyed jerking her mother around.

Colleen huffs at her but doesn’t say another word. Pidge smiles then continues.

“Hunk and Shay are going to raise their baby.” Pidge emphasises ‘their’. Colleen crosses her arms over her chest. Pidge is familiar with this reaction.

“Katie,” Sam sighs and puts his hand on Colleen’s shoulder. “Stop getting your mother riled up and just explain.”

“I already did,” Pidge replies. “I’m going to have a baby for Hunk and Shay.” She looks at Colleen. “And I wanted to pick your brain a bit since, well, you’ve done this twice so. . .”

“Katie,” Sam starts. 

“I know, dad. I know this is a huge deal. I already did some research, that’s why I’m tracking my cycle, like, really tracking it and I’ve been eating better and. . .” She holds up the cup. “And weaning off these.” She gives him a smile. “I think that’s going to be the hardest part.”

Colleen gives a dismissive laugh.

“You have no idea what it’s like to be pregnant,” she says.

“Exactly! That’s why I need your help. I have a ton of questions before we actually make the first attempt.”

“You’ve already discussed this with Hunk and Shay then?” Sam asks.

“Oh, yeah. That part’s all decided and they’re doing their prep work, too. Did you know that Balmera and Human sperm can fuse?”

“Really?”

“Sam. . .” Colleen scowls at him but Pidge can see she’s intrigued, too.

“Yeah, so this baby will really be their baby. With a dash of me in there, too, since I am doing the egg-work.” She grins at her parents. “Like what I did there. . .egg-work.”

Sam snickers and Pidge notices a little twitch of a smile from Colleen, too.

“So you’ll consult on my new project?” Pidge gives her mother her cutest grin. Colleen purses her lips and squints at her daughter. “Please.”

Colleen sighs.

“If you’re serious. . .” She gestures for Pidge to give her the cup. Pidge takes one last drink then does. Colleen takes a sip and adds. “What do you want to know?”

\---------------

In the interest of doing the very best for the project, Pidge has been without any type of caffeine style stimulant for a month and, despite the advice she got from several sources, she has not gotten used to it.

She pulls into the driveway of Hunk and Shay’s house and makes her way to the door. Her nervous energy gives her a much needed boost. She gives an obligatory knock on the door then turns the knob. It’s unlocked and she steps inside and calls.

“Hunk. . . Shay. . .” She drops her bag just inside the door. “Egg delivery!”

She hears Hunk’s laugh and follows it to the kitchen.

“Time’s ticking,” she says to him.

“Yeah, uh. . .I’m not sure what. . .I’ve never done this before so. . .”

“I think you already did what you were supposed to do, right?” Pidge jokes. Color rises on Hunk’s face and he nods. “Was it good?”

“It’s always good,” Hunk replies without missing a beat. Pidge laughs.

“Ok, it’s fertilizing time.”

She goes back the hall and sees Shay in the bedroom.

“Hey Shay, I hear you had some fun, huh?”

Shay giggles.

“Yes. I just changed the bedding.”

“Ooh, it was a good time,” Pidge says. Shay smiles and nods but doesn’t blush. Pidge tries to remember if, in the nearly five years she’s known Shay, she’s ever seen her blush and comes up short.

“The syringe is in the warmer.” She hugs Pidge to her and holds her for a moment. “Thank you, Pidge. This is such a wonderful thing you are doing and I am so grateful for you.” Pidge notices tears welling in her eyes when Shay releases her.

“I wouldn’t do it for just anyone,” Pidge says. She feels tears welling in her eyes and blinks them back. “Ok, I need to do this so. . .”

Shay gives her another hug then gently closes the door behind her as she leaves. Pidge wastes no time. She goes to the warmer on the bedside table and gives it a look then unbuttons her pants and lets them fall to the floor. She slips off her underwear and puts them next to her as she sits on the bed. She arranges the pillows in a small stack then takes the syringe from the warmer. It’s thin and filled to capacity. She arranges herself with her hips up on the pillows and her feet against the headboard. 

“Ok,” she whispers to herself. She spreads her legs and slips the syringe as far into her vagina as it can go while still allowing her to use the plunger. She barely feels it. She does notice a warm rush as she empties the contents into herself. She walks her feet up the headboard and tips her pelvis in hopes of preventing leakage. She stays that way for a few minutes then grabs her underwear and slips them on.

She chuckles at what she must look like, her legs up the wall and hips on a stack of pillows, hoping the fused human and Balmeran sperm will make its way to her egg and impregnate her. She knows it’s odd, the way she’s approaching this project, but it’s not like she, they, have a lot of choices. There are very few doctors who specialize in human/alien pairings. And among that very limited group, none offer advice on human/Balmeran pairings. There is one doctor who, if she manages to get pregnant, can see her through her pregnancy but beyond that, she’s in relatively uncharted territory. .

Her legs start to burn but she wants to keep her hips elevated to increase her odds of success. Not that she really expects this first attempt to work. Though part of her hopes it will, for Hunk and Shay’s sake. She wants to give them the baby they so desperately want but the odds of her hitting an in-the-park homerun her first time at bat are slim. She closes her eyes and focuses on holding the slightly awkward pose.

There’s a gentle rap on the door followed by Shay’s voice.

“Pidge? Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, you can come in if you want. Fair warning, I’m in my undies.” Pidge sees Shay come in and gives her a smile. “Just doing some yoga. Want to join me?”

Shay smiles and sits next to her on the bed. She puts one of her large hands under Pidge’s hips and Pidge relaxes into it.

“I got new underwear just for the occasion,” Pidge jokes. She points at the cartoon print underwear and Shay laughs. “You like?”

“Very cute,” Shay replies. She lets out a contented sigh and Pidge notices tears welling in her eyes.

“I can get you some if you want,” Pidge jokes. Shay laughs and, to Pidge’s surprise, gently cups the side of Pidge’s face with her free hand. Shay smiles at her and Pidge can see the love in her face and feels tears sting her own eyes.

“Ok,” Pidge swallows hard. “Those are happy, tears, right?”

Shay nods.

“Yes. Very happy tears.” Shay wipes at her eyes and Pidge does the same. “This reminds me of my clutch.”

“Clutch?”

“The women in Balmeran families form very close connections and help one another through major events and share stories to preserve the family history.” Shay chuckles. “And gossip a bit, too.” She wipes another tear from her face. “With everything that happened. . .the invasion and. . .my family. . .the Balmera lost so much. I’ve missed the clutch, that closeness and. . .” Shay takes a large stuttering breath as she trails off.

Pidge takes Shay’s free hand in both of hers and smiles through her own tears. She knows how much this means to Shay after the recent loss of her grandmother, the last of her female relatives. 

“What was it like? The clutch?”

Shay smiles at her and Pidge smiles back.

\---------------

“You shouldn’t be,” Shay says.

“But I am. I’m so fucking frustrated, Shay.” 

Pidge huffs and shifts so Shay can help her rest the small of her back against the outside of Shay’s thigh. It’s surprisingly comfortable but Pidge wishes she didn’t have to do it anymore. Didn’t have to lay there on her back with her hips up, waiting and hoping that this time will be the one that takes.

“It’s only been six months, Pidge,” Shay reminds her. She’s always the voice of reason, which frustrates Pidge even more. She wants Shay to yell and get mad but it’s not in her personality. She’s a bottomless well of patience. Even more so than Hunk. Pidge remembers the handful of times she’s witnessed him get really upset. They were few and far between (and unsettling) but also comforting. 

“Do you ever get mad?” Pidge asks her. “I mean, like yelling and cursing and just losing your shit?”

Shay grins.

“Yes.”

“Liar.” Pidge nudges Shay with her foot and Shay laughs. She takes Pidge’s foot in her hand and starts to rub it.

“I am not lieing,” Shay replies. “Ask Rax about the times I’ve shown my temper.”

“Really? You whoop your brother’s ass?”

“If ‘whoop’ means hit, then no.” Shay starts to rub Pidge’s opposite foot. Pidge notices the little grin on her face.

“But you wanted to.”

“Of course I did.”

Pidge laughs.

“You ever yell at Hunk?”

“Yes, but I’ve never wanted to hit him.” She sighs. “He’s just too adorable.”

Pidge sees the love in Shay’s face and smiles. She sighs and Shay looks at her. Pidge can see the shift in her expression.

“What?” she asks. Shay hesitates. “Come on, Shay, say it.”

“I want to ask something of you but you’ve already given me so much.” She glances down at Pidge’s prone body.

“Well, not yet. . .tell me, Shay. Come on.”

Shay locks eyes with her.

“Would you accept the blessing of the Balmera?”

Pidge blinks at her and slowly exhales. She’s learned a lot about Balmeran culture over the months she’s been helping Hunk and Shay. Hunk had shared a lot before now, but the one on one time with Shay has given Pidge a whole new perspective. Being blessed would mean Pidge would be considered Balmeran, like Hunk. Being blessed would mean she is accepted by the Balmera itself, a rare gift given how isolated the Balmera has become in the years since the end of the war. 

“Really? You want me to. . .you think I could? I mean, like the Balmera would say yes or accept me or. . .”

“Yes,” Shay says with a huge smile. “I know the Balmera would accept you fully. You are generous of spirit, kind, and strong. And you are going to help bring forth a new generation. You honor everything that is Balmeran, Pidge.”

Pidge feels her face flush and tears prick her eyes. She laughs as she tries to blink them back and fails. She swipes at her face and smiles at Shay, who is also crying.

“Stop crying so I can stop crying,” she says. Shay chuckles and Pidge laughs. “Yes,” she finally says. Her voice cracks and she laughs again. She swallows hard and fans at her face. “Yes,” she repeats. “What do I need to do?”

“Just come with Hunk and I, back to Balmera. We’ll go to the sacred site together and speak and be spoken to by the Balmera and you will feel the blessing. . .” Shay runs her hands lightly over Pidge’s body and Pidge shivers. “. . .everyone will feel the blessing and know you.”

Pidge sniffs again and wipes away a stray tear then closes her eyes and exhales slowly. She feels Shay shift underneath her then say.

“May I call Hunk in to share this with him?”

Pidge opens her eyes and stares at Shay.

“You didn’t talk about this with him, like tell him.”

“No. I wanted it to be a surprise for him.” She grins at Pidge and Pidge laughs.

“Hunk!” Pidge yells. Shay starts to giggle. Pidge flaps her hand at her as Hunk’s voice comes from the other side of the door.

“You ok? What can I get. . .”

“Get in here,” Pidge replies then quickly adds. “Please.”

“Is something wrong?” Hunk looks concerned as he comes through the door.

“No,” Shay says. “Come sit with us.”

Hunk smiles and joins them on the bed. He looks from Shay to Pidge and back at Shay.

“What’s going on? You both look like you’re up to something.”

“Just making a baby. . .hopefully,” Pidge says. She pokes him with her foot and he rolls his eyes at her.

“Pidge is going to come with us to Balmera,” Shay says. Hunk’s face lights up.

“Yeah? That’s great. You need a little vacation. I can see you’ve been stressing about all this and. . .that’s not good for you, Pidge. Not just for conceiving but in general. I know I’m looking forward to a long soak in the mineral baths. They have a kind of funky smell but. . .”

“We’re going to the sacred site, Hunk,” Shay says. Hunk turns and looks at her. 

“The. . .” Hunk stares at her for a moment.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Shay says.

“Yeah. . .good job on that.” He laughs and kisses her then looks at Pidge. He’s practically glowing with excitement.

“You think the Balmera will want me?” she asks.

Hunk leans over her and gives her a big kiss on her forehead.

“The Balmera would be nuts not to,” he replies.

\-----------------------

It’s still a few days away but Pidge can already feel the tell-tale signs of her approaching period. A dull ache in her abdomen and an almost obscene desire for a mega melon slushie with an energy shot chaser. Something to mitigate the twinge of a headache lurking just behind her eyes. She sighs then jumps as the ship jolts roughly in its descent through the Balmeran atmosphere. She hears Hunk groan beside her and looks at him.

“You going to puke?” she asks.

“No. . .no I’m. . .” Hunk pauses. “I’m good. . .I think.” He takes a deep inhale and swallows hard. “Yeah, I’m. . .” He groans as the shuttle lurches again. 

“You’re a hopeless case,” Pidge teases.

“I know.” He looks at her and adds. “Doesn’t look like you’re enjoying this much, either.”

“Working on a headache,” she replies. Hunk pats her hand and she laughs.

“You need a soak in the mineral baths,” he says. “We both do.”

“Definitely.”

A few minutes later there’s one final shudder as the ship docks. Hunk wastes no time retrieving his bag and rummaging in it. He pulls out a bottle of water and a small pouch.

“Here.” 

Pidge takes the small pill from his palm. She knows it’s not a pill but a seed used by the Balmeran for minor aches and pains and completely safe for human consumption, even if she happens to be pregnant. But the ache in her abdomen doesn’t bode well for that being the case. Pidge pops the pill and chases it with some water and sighs.

“Just give it a few minutes and that headache will be gone,” Hunk says.

Pidge nods and refrains from telling him what her body is telling her. Hunk and Shay know her cycle as well as she does and never have either of them asked her before it was time for her period. It’s something Shay and Hunk made her agree to from the very start. No early testing. It would only bring added stress. Pidge had tried to tell them it wouldn’t but they insisted and she had complied. Not that waiting for her period (and hoping it wouldn’t come) took the pressure off entirely. But, to be fair, there wasn’t much short of her getting pregnant that would help on that front. While she feels frustrated over the lack of success, Shay and Hunk always appear calm and patient, offering her comfort and doing their best not to add to the pressure she’s already put on herself. 

She feels another pang in her abdomen and sighs. This will be her seventh failure. She sighs again and retrieves her bag from under her seat. Hunk reaches for it and she lets him take it. Shay sidles up to her as they exit the ship and gives her a smile then takes all the bags from Hunk and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“Your stomach ok?” she asks him.

“Better now that that’s over.”

Pidge listens to them chat as they make their way from the ship to the checkpoint where Shay takes the lead offering their bags to the inspectors and making small talk. Pidge notices the inspector look past Shay to her then smile. Pidge has seen this reaction before, someone recognizing her as the green paladin of Voltron. But it’s been five, nearly six, years since the war ended and it happens less and less. Pidge prefers it that way. She gives him a small smile in return and is relieved when he turns his attention back to Shay. 

“Oh my god.” Hunk nudges Pidge’s arm and she looks at him and then across the small room at a familiar face. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you, too,” Shiro replies. He accepts Hunk’s hug and opens his arms to Pidge. She accepts and Shiro lifts her from her feet in a huge hug then smiles at her. “This is a surprise.”

“Yeah,” Pidge agrees. “Just here for a little r and r.”

“Mineral baths?” Shiro chuckles. “I’ve heard about them. Hoping to check them out but. . .”

“Business first?” Hunk asks with a gesture to Shiro’s uniform.

“Yeah,” he nods. “I’m so glad we can finally help.”

“We? That means Keith’s here, too?” Hunk asks.

“Tomorrow,” Shiro replies. “With the first work crew.” He looks past Hunk and grins then embraces Shay. “Thanks to your brother.”

“He is very persuasive,” Shay says. “And the Blade is so good at what they do, the council was just being stubborn to refuse.”

“It’s understandable,” Shiro offers. “Given. . .” He shrugs. “How long is your visit?”

“A week,” Shay says. She puts her arm around Pidge and adds. “Pidge is being blessed.”

“Well, I hope so,” Pidge offers.

Something in the way Shiro grins at her gives away that he already knew and makes her wonder what else he knows. 

“Will you have some free time during your stay? I want to hear more about all this. I’m sure Keith will, too.”

“Yes,” Shay answers for her. “We are staying with Rax and would love to see you and Keith and hear about all your adventures.”

“Our adventures?” Shiro gives Pidge that same knowing grin. Pidge holds his gaze and keeps a straight face. She can tell he wants to laugh. “I’ll give you a call?”

“If you don’t, we’re going to track you down,” Hunk says.

“That won’t be necessary,” Shiro says. “I need to. . .” He gestures to the inspectors.

He gives Pidge another grin then makes his way across the room.

“He’s going to ask what’s up,” Pidge says as they make their way to the exit. “What do you want to tell him?”

She notices how Hunk avoids looking at her or Shay.

“Hunk,” Shay starts. There’s a playful lilt to her voice. “Did you?” 

“Shiro is discreet,” Hunk replies and quickly adds. “So is Keith. I mean, I kind of assume he told him since they are married and, well, spouses kind of don’t count.”

“Spouses don’t count?” Pidge nods at Shay.

“They count,” she corrects. “Perhaps in a different way, but they count.”

Pidge hooks her thumb at Shay and arches her eyebrows at Hunk.

“Fine, they count but you know what I’m saying is. . .” Hunk sighs. He looks at both of them. “Ok, I screwed up. Sorry.”

Pidge wraps her free arm around him as best she can and laughs.

“I’m not mad,” she says. She chuckles and adds. “You tell Lance, too?”

Hunk laughs.

“If I had, you’d know it.”

Pidge laughs and nods. She looks at Shay. 

“You mad at him?” 

“Not at all.” She laughs. “Hunk deserves a clutch, too.”

\---------------

“So?” Hunk asks after they have soaked for a while.

“Mmm,” Pidge replies, not bothering to open her eyes. Hunk laughs.

“If you feel like you’re going to fall asleep, go over. . .” Pidge hears splashing and knows Hunk is gesturing but doesn’t bother to open her eyes to confirm. “Pidge? Are you asleep?”

“Not yet. . .”

“Come on.”

She opens her eyes and looks up as Hunk stands beside where she’s still floating. The water is very soft from the high concentration of minerals native to only this particular Balmera (which also gives it the unique, and slightly off-putting yet not disgusting scent) and her skin feels slick as she runs her hands over her swimsuit clad midsection. She’s hesitant to leave the warm water but the prospect of a little nap is appealing. She stands and pitches heavily to one side. Hunk reaches out to steady her and she closes her eyes against a wave of dizziness.

“This water is crazy slippery. . .Pidge are you ok?”

“Yeah,” she mutters. She manages to open her eyes and is relieved to feel the vertigo has passed. “Just a head rush.”

“You looked like you were going to puke,” Hunk offers. He climbs the carved stone stairs and turns and offers her his hand. “Come on, be careful. You do not want to fall. Trust me.”

Pidge chuckles and takes his hand. She manages the steps without any trouble but he continues to hold her hand as they cross the large cave and down a more narrow corridor.

“There are these little, well to you they’ll probably be roomy but. . .” He laughs. “They have a carved out shelf, like a built in bed with a mat. It sounds uncomfortable. A rock bed, right? But it’s not.” He gestures to a darkened circle in the wall. “Go ahead.”

“Are you sure there’s no one in there?”

“It seals, like. . .” He points at another circle further down the hall, this one more gray in color. “This one’s free.” He looks down the hall then back at her. “I’ll be just down there. . .” he points. “. . .just rattle. . .” He points to a cord along the entryway. Pidge looks up and sees it’s attached to what looks like shells. “Doorbell. It’s pretty quiet out here but it’s louder inside but not like, scare the hell out of you or. . .” He gives her a concerned look. “If you just want to go back to the pools we can.”

“No, I’m fine. Just really tired.”

Hunk’s expression relaxes.

“I hear you. You’ll get a great nap here, I promise.” He gestures down the hall again. “Remember, I’m right down there, yeah?”

“Got it,” Pidge replies. Hunk gives her a grin and she grins back. “Sweet dreams,” she says to him.

“Same to you,” he replies.

She steps into the darkness which quickly fills with a low glowing light. Just enough for her to see the carved surface only a few steps infront of her. It’s large, big enough to accommodate an adult Balmeran and covered in what looks like moss. She runs her hand over it and smells a sweet scent. It’s a contrast to the pungent scent of the mineral baths yet the two mix nicely. She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly then sits.

The moss is unlike anything she’s ever felt and she’s powerless against her urge to lay down. She curls on her side and rests her arm over her abdomen. The crampiness she felt the day before on their descent to the planet’s surface has passed but her period hasn’t yet started. As she drifts to sleep, she allows herself to believe it won’t.

Her sleep is deep and refreshing and peppered with snips of dreams that come to her like overheard conversations. She wakes to the sound of the chime and sits and says:

“Come in.”

When she’s met with another chime, she repeats:

“It’s ok, you can come in.”

She doesn’t want to get up from the soft, sweet-smelling moss.

“Pidge.” Shay’s voice is low. “You have to come to the doorway.”

Pidge reluctantly gets up and the previously dark doorway starts to gently glow revealing Shay’s outline.

“It knows. . .”

“Yes,” Shay says. “It allows for perfect safety for everyone who visits.”

“What if I wanted someone to sneak in?” Pidge asks as she leaves the chamber and follows her back the hallway. Shay chuckles.

“That’s not what these chambers are for,” Shay replies. She pauses at Hunk’s doorway and gives the cord a little tug then grins at Pidge. “But there are chambers where that is possible. They are very popular.”

“Have you. . .”

“Hey ladies,” Hunk says. He rubs at his face and notices their smiles. “Are you up to something?”

“Pidge was asking about the pairing chambers.”

Hunk grins and gives Shay a kiss.

“It would be a shame to not pay them a visit while we’re here,” he says.

She kisses him and says:

“We will. But now our focus is on Pidge.” She smiles at Pidge and cups the side of her face in her large hand. “We want you to go to the blessing without any hesitation or fear.” She bends and kisses Pidge’s forehead. “We want the Balmera to feel our love for you, Pidge.”

Pidge smiles at her then over at Hunk. 

“A good rest always makes me hungry,” he says. “You hungry?”

“Yeah,” she replies. She hadn’t realized it until that moment.

“Then you did have a good rest,” Hunk replies. “Come on. I’ll cook us up a feast.”

Pidge takes Shay’s hand and they make their way down the hallway and past the pools to the robes and shoes waiting at the main entry.

\----------

“No, I think this one is better.” Pidge points at a nearly empty plate.

Rax laughs and puts his arm around her shoulders and gives her a squeeze.

“Of course it is.” He gives Shay and Hunk a smug look.

“Be a gracious winner,” Shay scolds.

“Be a gracious loser,” Rax counters. 

Shay gives him a playful glare and Pidge is reminded of their conversation roughly a month ago and laughs.

“You want to smack him, don’t you?” she asks.

“Just a bit.” Shay grins.

Pidge laughs and listens as Rax, Shay, and Hunk chatter around her. She slides back in her chair and rubs at her full stomach and enjoys the sound. It reminds her of her own family and without any warning she feels tears prick her eyes. She blinks and sits forward again and takes a drink from her glass. Her bowels rumble and she quietly gets up and heads toward the bathroom, making a small stop to grab her messenger bag along the way.

She sits on the Balmeran equivalent of the toilet and reaches for her bag only to notice the lack of a stain on her underwear. She’d fully expected one given her previous symptoms and now this sudden need for the bathroom and is taken aback that it still hasn’t happened. She rummages in her bag again and pulls out the small data pad dedicated to this particular project. She brings up the calendar and stares at the screen. She looks up and stares at the bare wall for a moment then looks at it again. She chuckles slightly and whispers to herself.

“No, don’t get excited.”

But she can’t help the smile that spreads over her face.

She taps the screen and tosses the darkened data pad back in her bag then lets it fall to the floor. She takes a pad of woven grass from the basket (the Balmeran version of toilet paper) and gives herself a wipe. Nothing. Not even a trace of blood. She chuckles and pulls up her pants and takes a step toward the Balmeran version of the bathroom sink. It’s a small raised pool of gently flowing water with plants growing around and from it. She plucks a leaf and crushes it between her hands then rinses them in the water before taking the small bucket next to the pool, filling it, and emptying it into the toilet. She remembers Shay telling her how strange it was when she first visited Earth and saw a flushing toilet for the first time, with it’s loud rushing water.

Pidge stares at the Balmeran toilet and starts to laugh. It reminds her of all the different, sometimes strange or downright horrifying, things she’s encountered in a relatively short time since she went out into the desert with her two friends to investigate a crashed alien ship. There was no way for her to know then that, years later, she’d be standing in an alien bathroom excited that she had made a simple counting error.

\-------------------

She walks between them, Shay in the lead and Hunk behind her, to a dark indentation along a rock wall located away from the bustle of the more populated areas of the Balmera. It reminds her of the doorways at the mineral pools and she’s not surprised when it reacts in a similar way casting a light glow into the cavern in front of them. She notices the walls start to glow a few steps ahead of them and dim a few steps behind. Just enough light to guide them safely down the gently sloping path and deeper into the Balmera.

The floor is solid under her feet and the walls are covered in what appears to be the same moss as the beds at the mineral pools. Unlike other caves she’s been in, that feel cooler the further you go, this cavern is a constant temperature. Warm and slightly humid but not uncomfortable. She reaches out to trail her fingers along the mossy wall and feels a shiver run up her spine and goosebumps prickle her skin. Ahead of her, she hears Shay sigh. It’s a contented sound that Pidge finds comforting. 

Not that Pidge is nervous as she expected she would be. She’s calm with just a hint of excitement. Excitement over receiving the blessing of the Balmera, to be welcomed and accepted. And excitement over what she has recently discovered and not yet shared with Shay and Hunk.

She doesn’t want to keep it from them but she also doesn’t want to get their hopes up only to have them dashed because she’s wrong. She’s already proven, if only to herself, that she’s not as good at this project as she thought. A counting error? While it’s in her favor it’s still embarrassing. But more than just the mild embarrassment of having to admit she couldn’t count properly, she wants to be alone with the possibility a little bit longer. To be the only one who knows.

The path levels out and opens into a larger chamber. Through the faint glow surrounding them, Pidge sees a raised area that is covered in the same moss as the walls. Shay smiles at her and gestures. Pidge sits in the center and watches as Shay and Hunk sit beside one another and facing her. Shay reaches for one of her hands and Hunk the other and once all hands are joined closes her eyes and lets out another contented sigh. Pidge watches her then looks at Hunk. He smiles at her and gives a little nod and closes his eyes, too. Pidge continues to watch for another moment then closes her eyes as well.

She feels it immediately, a flutter in her stomach similar to nervous energy combined with a light behind her eyes that she knows is not coming from the room. She knows, even without seeing, that the room is completely dark. A light breeze stirs, carrying with it the sweet scent of the moss combined with another, earthy smell. She inhales deeply and exhales slowly then feels it. A tingle that climbs over her body and passes quickly followed by images that flip through her mind like a slideshow. She doesn’t recognize many of them with their unfamiliar Balmeran faces but others she does. Her father in his Garrison uniform as he left for Kerberos. Hunk smiling at her as he introduced himself for the first time. Her brother as a boy threatening her with a water balloon, a huge smile on his face. Her mother’s shocked look at being surprised by her children in werewolf masks. A young Shay holding her mother’s hand, crying. Her brother the day they were reunited, his hair long and a scar on his cheek. Her father as a younger man, crouched beside her to blow on the scrape on her knee and offer soothing words. Shay the first time she met Hunk. Her mother, hands over her face, weeping.. 

Her history being added to the collected history of the Balmera and that history being shared, at least in part, with her. Happy and sad moments with family members living and dead. Moments of pride mixed with shame, bravery with cowardice, hopes and dreams and disappointments and painful loss blending together until they are just a blur in her mind. 

She wants to cry and laugh and scream but she remains still, her eyes closed and her hands joined to Shay and Hunk. The flood of images stops and she’s filled with an overwhelming sense of being safe and loved. It’s so intense and all consuming that it makes her shudder and start to sob. A moment later, she feels their arms around her, holding her and intensifying the feelings of love and acceptance. She calms and they release her. She sighs and wipes at her face and opens her eyes to look at her lap then up at them. 

Hunk’s cheeks are wet with tears and his smile is beaming. His eyes flick over her body and he takes her hand again and gives it a squeeze. Pidge squeezes back and looks at Shay. She’s also smiling through her tears and she cups the side of Pidge’s face with her hand.

Pidge knows that she doesn’t have to say the words aloud that they already know. She looks down at her lap and trails her free hand through the moss in front of her then starts to laugh. 

“I don’t know what’s more embarrassing,” she starts. “Knowing you saw me in the bathroom or the fact that I couldn’t even count properly.” She looks up at them and sees their smiles. “It’s only a few days and I wasn’t feeling very optimistic when we left but it looks like. . .I mean, we’d need a test to be sure but. . .”

Hunk rises to his knees and pulls her to him. He hugs her then plants a huge kiss on her forehead. Pidge laughs.

“Let me guess, you did. . .bring a test or. . .”

Hunk shakes his head and wipes fresh tears from his face.

“We don’t need one,” Shay says.

“Are you saying. . .”

Shay nods.

“How. . .” Pidge laughs. “You’re sure. . .I mean, the Balmera’s sure or. . .I don’t mean to sound like a skeptic or. .. “

Shay smiles at her.

“The Balmera knows every Balmeran. When you were blessed, it knew you and the new life inside you.” She giggles and adds. “I did see the moment you discovered it. In the bathroom.”

“Well, you’ve also seen me in my undies with my legs up the wall so. . .” Pidge laughs and looks at Hunk. “I guess you saw my bathroom moment, too.”

“Yeah,” Hunk chuckles. “But it wasn’t any more embarrassing then that time you drank the Nunvill.”

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Probably not.”

Pidge sighs and grins at them then asks:

“Now what?”

“We leave,” Shay answers. She gives Pidge a little grin.

“I guesed that much, thanks.”

Shay stands and offers her hand to Pidge. Pidge takes it and, once she’s standing, embraces Shay and then Hunk.

“I love you both, you know that, right? And I’m going to do everything, and I mean everything for your baby. I promise.”

“We know,” Hunk replies. “And we love you, too, Pidge.”

**Author's Note:**

> I may revisit this at another time but. . .for now it's going to be a one chapter deal.
> 
> This is post finale and canon related. Pidge works with her family developing things to improve life on Earth and other planets (they don't make things for the Garrison, though. . .they are independent contractors who work with different charity organizations. . .they have distanced themselves from the military side of things). Pidge does deal in contraband (to help get things she needs for their projects. . .and fun stuff like the candy she gives Matt).
> 
> It's set roughly 6 years post finale making Pidge around 22 years old and Hunk around 24 years old. Shay is older than Hunk (she's around 28-30 years old). Hunk and Shay married shortly after the finale. Hunk is a chef and he and Shay are both Balmeran diplomats (as much as Balmera really has diplomats, given their isolationist position). Their official residence is Earth but they spend a lot of time on Balmera as well.
> 
> Now, what about the Balmeran reproduction? Well, the big difference is the reversal of sperm/egg roles. Females make the sperm, males the eggs. Male deposits egg into female (via penetrative sex. . .very similar to m/f human reproduction) and female fertilizes. Female gestates baby (which is very similar to human gestation). Due to the role reversal issue, some type of third party intervention will always be needed for Balmeran/human mixes. The easiest type of intervention is for a human female to be fertilized by a female Balmeran and gestate the fetus. Since there isn't much research on Balmera/human mixes, it's unsure if IVF would work (with human egg being mixed with Balmeran sperm and implanted into Balmeran female). 
> 
> Pidge's "new project" won't simply end with her having a baby. She will continue (with the help of others) research on Balmeran/Human mixed reproduction. 
> 
> (oh, and just in case I never get around to writing it. . .Pidge delivers a baby girl. A few years later, Pidge will give the girl a sibling. . .a baby sister)


End file.
